COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Airbnb is cracking down on people who host New Year’s Eve parties at their properties.
They’ve implemented anti-party technology to stop people trying to book one to three nights this weekend and on New Year’s Eve.
(DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for breaking news alerts)
“The problem you have is that when people rent your house saying it is for 3 or 4 people, and there are ultimately 30 or 40 people in the house, then you are disturbing the neighbors,” said Cortney Newmans, who currently owns four Airbnbs. in the Atlanta and Athens metro area. “Especially if they know you do Airbnb and take care of your property,” Newmans added. “Then you throw a party, that will deter them from saying ‘hey, we want Airbnb in this neighborhood,’ especially if you have an HOA.”
Airbnb began cracking down on parties in 2020. They are looking for high-risk bookings which the company determines based on factors such as length of stay, the type of listing a person is trying to book and the distance between the reservation and the traveler’s location. lives.
TRENDING STORIES:
Last year, Airbnb said the technology dissuaded about 33,000 people from booking New Year’s Eve parties across the country. In Georgia, that number approached 1,800, and in Atlanta, about 730 people were dissuaded from booking.
“While problems are rare, we want to do our part to help reduce the risk of unauthorized and disruptive parties. Airbnb is committed to supporting hosts and the communities they live in, and we hope these defenses allow guests, hosts and neighbors to celebrate the holidays with more peace of mind,” said Tara Bunch, Manager global operations at Airbnb.
(SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Newsletter)
Newmans said he won’t count on New Year’s Eve revenue, but he says he understands some owners do. However, he said the wrong party can harm the owner financially.
“If you have guests maybe 200 nights a year, you can have 5 or 10 parties, but those 5 or 10 parties could cost you the whole year’s profits,” Newmans said.
He said someone broke into one of his rentals to have a party and cost him nearly $4,000 in damages.
“The couches were damaged,” Newmans said. “We had food stains and drink stains. »
Airbnb says that if a booking is reported during the holiday weekend, the traveler could be blocked or the site will redirect them to other accommodations on the platform.
©2024 Cox Media Group